Error Message:
sssd.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=2/INVALIDARGUMENT

Output of sssd service

[root@testbox ~]# systemctl start sssd.service
Job for sssd.service failed because the control process exited with error code. See “systemctl status sssd.service” and “journalctl -xe” for details.
[root@testbox ~]#

[root@testbox ~]# systemctl status sssd.service
â sssd.service – System Security Services Daemon
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/sssd.service; enabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Drop-In: /etc/systemd/system/sssd.service.d
ââjournal.conf
Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Sun 2018-04-08 20:54:14 UTC; 4s ago
Process: 77009 ExecStart=/usr/sbin/sssd -i -f (code=exited, status=2)
Main PID: 77009 (code=exited, status=2)

Apr 08 20:54:14 testbox systemd[1]: Starting System Security Services Daemon…
Apr 08 20:54:14 testbox sssd[77009]: SSSD is already running
Apr 08 20:54:14 testbox systemd[1]: sssd.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=2/INVALIDARGUMENT
Apr 08 20:54:14 testbox systemd[1]: Failed to start System Security Services Daemon.
Apr 08 20:54:14 testbox systemd[1]: Unit sssd.service entered failed state.
Apr 08 20:54:14 testbox systemd[1]: sssd.service failed.
Hint: Some lines were ellipsized, use -l to show in full.
[root@testbox ~]#

Output of /var/log/sssd/sssd.log
(Sun Apr 8 20:54:41:430809 2018) [sssd] [main] (0x0010): pidfile exists at /var/run/sssd.pid

Solution

1) Take a duplicate session and look at /var/log/sssd/sssd.log while starting the sssd
# tail -f /var/log/sssd/sssd.log

2) If you see “pidfile exists at /var/run/sssd.pid” then remove the file
# rm /var/run/sssd.pid

3) Try to start the sssd service and check status as well
# systemctl start sssd.service
# systemctl status sssd.service